Violence at Ohio juvenile jail vexing officials

CLEVELAND (AP) — Officials in Cleveland are trying to figure how to deal with escalating violence at the county's new juvenile detention facility.

Having the sheriff's office take over operations was among the suggestions floated Tuesday by the Cuyahoga County Council in response to increasing violence at the juvenile jail.

Court officials say the increase in violent incidents is partly a result of a state law that allows suspects as old as age 21 to be held in juvenile detention until their cases are resolved. That means adults are being held alongside much younger people.

The Northeast Ohio Media Group (http://bit.ly/1mH6rFT ) reports that Juvenile Administrative Judge Kristin Sweeney repeated her request for an additional $550,000 to hire more guards. The council denied a similar request late last year.